Tech Talks

At Viracon we continually strive to help our customers in as many ways as we can. The PDF documents on this page cover the following topics:

Bird Friendly Glass - When designing buildings with bird safety in mind, it is important to understand that birds do not perceive glass as an obstacle to their flight path. To aid in reducing collisions, the lighting of the glass, elements placed near the glass as well as the glass selection itself must all be considered.....read more

Ceramic Frit and Ink Visual Characteristics - When using silk-screen, spandrel or DigitalDistinctions™ in architectural building applications, the design details require careful consideration to avoid an unintended aesthetic result such as a moiré pattern or an uneven, checkerboard appearance. Moiré is an optical phenomenon that typically appears as a wavy, rippled or circular pattern.....read more

Glass and Electronic Eavesdropping Protection - Glass is a key component in building design. The benefits are well understood, including the contribution daylight makes to healthier occupants. Utilizing glass for security is often less understood and the least understood security consideration for glass is electronic eavesdropping protection.......read more

Field-Applied Coatings and Films on Glass - There are times when the type of glass selected for a building does not adequately control solar heat gain or provide thermal or visual comfort. To address these issues, reflective or heat-absorbing films or coatings are often applied to the glass after it is installed. The most commonly used materials are polyester films.....read more

Glass Staining - Overall, flat glass for commercial buildings is uniquely resistant to chemical attacks and other types of deterioration. However, glass staining can occur from a reaction to acids used during new concrete cleaning, masonry runoff and prolonged water contact during storage and shipment.....read more

Heat Soak Testing - Tempered glass may break without warning due to the expansion of nickel sulfide inclusions (NiS) present within float glass. To avoid the risk of spontaneous glass breakage in fully tempered glass, a common practice is to avoid the use of tempered glass whenever possible.....read More

Insulating Glass Sealant Visual Characteristics - The use of insulating glass continues to grow worldwide as a result of the desire to build more energy efficient buildings. The various types of glazing systems utilized today require insulating glass units to be accommodating in their structural characteristic as well as the visual aspects of the unit.....read More

Quench Pattern Characteristics - During the production of tempered and heat-strengthened glass, the glass is heated close to its softening point. Then, it’s quenched, or cooled, with high velocity blasts of air. This process results in compression at the glass surface and edges, and compensating tension in the glass thickness center.....read more

Reflective Glass - This Tech Talk provides you with important information on storage, maintenance, installation, and inspection guidelines for monolithic reflective glass to prevent glass staining and damage.....read More

The Role of Reflectivity in Glass - The solar spectrum encompasses all energy coming from the sun and is made of three components; visible, infrared and ultraviolet. Visible is light you see when looking at the sun, infrared is the heat you feel on your skin and ultraviolet fades fabrics and deteriorates plastic.....read more

Thermal Stress Breakage - The complexity of today’s commercial glass building designs increases the probability of unique shading patterns, which may elevate thermal stresses and breakage. Glass breakage can occur for many reasons. Generally, thermal loads on glass occur as a result of the glass being exposed to sunlight and interior heating.....read more

Viewing Windows for Swimming Pools and Aquariums - Glass viewing windows in swimming pools and aquariums are subjected to hydrostatic pressures. Consequently, an indepth analysis is required during the design stage to ensure safety requirements are met.....read More